Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. The demonym for residents of the town is "Burtonian". Burton, which had an estimated population of 43,784 (2001 Census), lies within the National Forest]. Burton is best known for its brewing heritage, having been home to over a dozen breweries in its heyday. Beer is still brewed in the town. The town originally grew up around Burton on Trent Abbey, which was the most important religious centre in medieval Staffordshire. Burton Bridge also became an important crossing point of the Trent and was the site of two battles, first in 1322 when Edward II defeated the rebel Earl of Lancaster and also in 1643 when the royalists captured the town during the First English Civil War. Sir William Paget and his descendents were responsible for extending the manor house within the abbey grounds and facilitating the extension of the River Trent Navigation to Burton. Burton had grown into a busy market town by the early modern period. There is some confusion as to whether Burton is in the West Midlands or the East Midlands, even though the entire urban centre is south-west of the River Dove, which forms the Derbyshire/Staffordshire boundary. Several factors contribute to the ambiguity of the town's status. The local vernacular shares more similarities with East Midlands English than West Midlands English; the town was formerly within the East Midlands Utility (electricity/gas) areas, and has Derby postcodes (DE13-DE15). However, it is served by the BBC Midlands (West Midlands) region, based in Birmingham and before consolidation exercises formed part of the ITV Central (West) region, again based in Birmingham. The town is served by Burton-on-Trent railway station. Notable and historical residents *William Bass, (1717–1787) founder of the brewery business of Bass & Co in Burton upon Trent in 1777 *Michael Arthur Bass, 1st Baron Burton (1837–1909), industrialist and philanthropist, member of the Bass brewing dynasty *William Harold Coltman (1891–1974), VC recipient *John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, studied at Burton Grammar School. His father wanted the young Jervis to become a barrister but the future Admiral of the Fleet had other ideas and ran away to join the Royal Navy at the age of 13. *Rosalyn Boulter (1916-1997), actress, George Formby's co-star in George In Civvy Street as well as many British film *Sir Oswald Mosley, Bt. (1896–1980), leader of the British Union of Fascists *Edward Wightman (1566–1612), a General Baptist, became the last religious martyr to be burnt at the stake for ‘Heresy’ in England *Paddy Considine (b. 1973), Multiple BAFTA award winning actor, filmmaker and screenwriter. *Nicholas Whittaker, author, journalist and former pupil of Burton Grammar School. *Anthony Hardy (b. 1951) a.k.a 'The Camden Ripper' *James Harrison CBE (b. 1976), lead singer of JAT and Academy Award winning actor. *Andrew Collins OBE (b. 1976), member of JAT. *Jake Wyss OBE (b. 1976), member of JAT. *Ryan Wilson OBE (b. 1975), member of JAT.